Bernhardt Line

Battle for the Bernhardt Line
Part of the Italian Campaign of World War II
Mount Sambucaro overlooking the modern town of San Pietro Infine (left) and the ruins of the original town (center).
Date 1 December 1943 – 15 January 1944 Location Mignano Gap, Italy Result Allied victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom  British India  United States  New Zealand  Canada  Free French and others	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Harold Alexander Bernard Montgomery Oliver Leese Mark Clark	Albert Kesselring Heinrich von Vietinghoff[nb 1] Joachim Lemelsen

The Bernhardt Line, or Reinhard Line, was a German Army defensive line in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II. Having reached the Bernhardt Line at the start of December 1943, it took until mid-January 1944 for the US Fifth Army to fight its way to the next line of defences, the Gustav Line. The Bernhardt Line was defended by XIV Panzer Corps (XIV Panzerkorps), part of the German Tenth Army (10. Armee).

Unlike most of the other defensive lines, the Bernhardt Line did not run all the way across Italy but was merely a bulge in front of the main Gustav Line; ran over the massif of Monte Cassino; and enclosed the peaks of Monte Cassino (Monastery Hill), Monte la Difensa, Monte la Remetanea and Monte Maggiore, in the territory of Rocca d'Evandro, and Monte Sambucaro (or Sammucro), which stands at the border of the three regions (Lazio, Molise, and Campania). However, the defences of the Gustav Line on the Adriatic are sometimes referred to as the Bernhardt Line, and the battles for that part of the line are included in this entry.

The Bernhardt Line was not as strong as the Gustav Line and was intended only to delay the Allies' arrival. Together with the Gustav Line and the Hitler Line, it made up the German Winter Line defences.

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